Page 28 of Sleeping with the Dark (The Righteous 3)
“Trev, she’s gonna kill me. Help me.”
Pushing himself to his feet, he dusted off the dirt from his Sunday best and sauntered toward the two human piglets.
“Mel, let him up before you suffocate him in the pig shit,” Trev said.
“But he deserves it. Fitting end for a male pig.” She made snorting noises at the back of his brother’s head.
Trev leaned on the split rail and bit his lip to stop from laughing again as he watched the show. Mel was now sitting on Arek as he tried to get up and proceeded to kick his legs out like he was a bronco.
“Please, for me?”
“Fine.” Mel stood and gave Arek one final push. “You owe me a new set of ribbons.” She marched through the pig shit like it was the most normal thing in the world. She gave him a wink before replacing the amused look with a scowl and looked back at Arek once more. “And a new outfit, this was my best dress.”
The scene before him shifted, and he looked around the dark gym with the glittering streamers, flashing lights, and terrible music playing. Trev hated school dances, they were a waste of time, but Mel had insisted the three of them go. Trev sipped his pop and looked around for his brother and best friend, who had seemingly disappeared. He spotted Arek first. He was on the dance floor holding Betty-Ann closer than her parents would approve. At seventeen, his brother was a horn dog, full-on messing around with any of the girls that would have him. He’d caught him making out with Emma before classes started, and now here he was feeling up Betty-Ann.
“Did you miss me?” Mel bumped his arm as she seemingly appeared from nowhere.
Pop went up and out his nose as his next sip was sloshed all over his face. Mel grabbed some napkins from the table he’d been propped up against while laughing. He sputtered and gasped as the pop left a trail of burning wetness.
“Thanks,” he said, shooting Mel a glare.
“Don’t be like that. In fact, come on. I want to show you something.” He barely got the pop sat down before she jerked his arm as she practically dragged him out the gymnasium doors.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise, you’ll see.” Her soft green eyes reminded him of a cat, full of mischief. She came to a halt and peered around the corner into the next hallway before looking back at him with a finger over her lips.
“You’re going to get us kicked out of school,” he whispered.
“They’d never kick us out. We have the highest gpa in the entire school. Besides, when have you ever gotten into trouble for anything?” Mel rolled her eyes at him. “A slap on the wrist at worst.” She peered around the corner and, this time, took his hand before pulling him along.
Why did he always go along with her craziness?
A teacher monitoring the halls just turned the corner at the far end of the hall, his shadow slowly getting further away. She pushed open a door he’d never been through and immediately pulled her to a halt. “The roof?”
“Come on, Trev.” She pulled on his hand and smiled.
Groaning, he climbed the steps with Mel, and as she pushed open the roof door, he took a deep breath of the cool evening air.
“Isn’t it stunning?” Mel pointed to the sky that was cloudless and sparkled with millions of stars.
“Yeah, it is,” he admitted, staring up at the dark sky just as a falling star zoomed past.
“Quick, make a wish.” Mel closed her eyes, and he found himself staring at her instead. They’d been friends since they were in diapers, but he would have to be blind not to notice how beautiful she’d become. His eyes were glued to her lush lips, and he loved how she bit the one side when she thought. Would she taste as good as she smelt? There was always the lingering scent of orchids that followed her around.
“Are you going to kiss me or just continue to stare?”
Trev flushed hotly, as his eyes flicked up to Mel’s. She’d caught him staring. He was going to deny it, make up some stupid excuse, but she didn’t give him the opportunity and instead raised up on her toes. His breath caught a moment before her lips touched his.
Her lips were warm and soft, not at all like he’d been expecting as they pressed together. He hated to admit that this was his first kiss. It felt a little awkward—he had no idea what he was supposed to do next. A spark of emotion he couldn’t explain formed in his chest.
Mel lowered herself down breaking the kiss, her cheeks a bright pink. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” she admitted quietly.
He hadn’t wanted it to end so soon. Trev smiled. “Really?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course, stupid, didn’t you notice me flirting with you?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to look at anything other than Mel. “Not really.”
